Trust
by Ina-chan
Summary: What will you do when someone from your past haunts you?
1. Chapter 1

OCTOBER 12, 1998 (revised October 31, 2004)

DISCLAIMER: JQ and its characters are not mine. This is making no money. Though I wish it did.

Trust (1/3)

by Ina-chan

_CLICK_

Race frowned.

This is the second time for today. A nagging feeling started to gnaw through his gut as he flipped his cel phone and pushed the sleek black object in his jacket pocket.

"Something wrong Mr. Bannon?" Mrs. Evans asked as a worried frown etched across her forehead

"No... Probably some kid making random prank calls," Race replied shaking his head

But it was the second time for today.

"Kids today..." Mrs. Evans murmured

"Well, I hope Mr. Evans finally recovers from the flu. I better get going myself..." Race said as he shifted the paper bag of groceries he had on his left arm, "My own patient can get very cranky if you leave him alone long enough."

"Poor Jonny," Mrs. Evans laughed and waved him goodbye, "Tell him I will pass by tomorrow to make him some of my great grandmother's chicken soup. Guaranteed to cure the flu."

"Well, I certainly hope so," Race replied with a grin as he walked out of the grocers and toward his car

Stale snow cracked under his weight as he opened the driver side door and unceremoniously tossed his bag across to the passenger seat. He racked his brains trying to deduce who his mysterious caller could be. Only a few people knew that number... and he was certain none of them would make a prank call such as this.

Hadji and Jessie is away visiting their mothers for the next couple of weeks. Dr. Quest is away on a conference in New York. Jonny is at home with the flu and acting like a wounded creature... the point being of why they were not able to accompany his father.

The phone rang again.

With a hint of annoyance, he pulled it out of his jacket.

"Bannon."

"Race, its Phil."

Now this is even more unusual than his mysterious caller.

"Phil?"

"I can't explain in the phone," Corven's slightly agitated voice filtered through the receiver, "This is urgent. I'm flying over immediately to brief you on the situation. I've already sent word to New York. Whatever happens, stay close to Jonny."

_CLICK_

If he wasn't his friend, Race could easily see himself despising his boss. But at the moment, Corven's rudeness was the least of Race's worries. His senior's message increased the urgency of his gut feeling. He started the car...

And the phone rang again.

"Did you forget something?" Race asked through the phone absent-mindedly as he backed out of the grocery's parking lot

No reply.

Like the two incidents earlier.

Only this time, his mysterious friend didn't hang up... or stay silent for too long,

"You stole my life from me."

Race frowned, "Who is this?"

"You stopped me before... but this time, I won't fail."

"Who are you?"

"I will get my life back."

Race stopped the car as something from the back of his memory tried to reach out to his consciousness.

The caller's voice... hauntingly familiar...

The caller's words... hauntingly familiar...

"WHO ARE YOU?" Race demanded coldly

His mysterious friend laughed. A very familiar laugh, "My name is Race Bannon. I am 32 years old... no... 36 years old. I was born in Willamette, Illinois. My father's name is John and my mother's name is Sarah..."

Race Bannon felt his blood run cold.

He heard those very same words before...

... Four years ago.

"Jonny..." Race whispered fearfully

"The question is," The caller continued, "Who are you?"

_CLICK_

To be continued?

Comments, criticisms, brick launchers at 

Author's squawk:

Yes, Meach... This is the fic promisehether I finish this fic or not. The aim of this fic is three chapters... so this one is supposed to be short and sweet, if things go my way.

Oh yeah... from Canada... Happy Thanksgiving! .

Ja!

Ina-chan


	2. Chapter 2

OCTOBER 12, 1998 (revised October 31, 2004)

DISCLAIMER: JQ and its characters are not mine. This is making no money. Though I wish it did.

Trust (2/3)

by Ina-chan

"No evidence of forced entry, sir."

Race eyed the young agent reporting to his superior wearily, trying not to get the annoyed with the situatuation on account of the rookie's inexperience. Corven nodded and gave some instructions to the other agents, before walking over to his long time friend.

"You know you won't find any evidence of a break in," Race said a matter-a-factly

"I know," Corven replied

One look in the room, and Race already pieced together the scene inside his head. The utter simplicity of it really pissed him off. He was pissed off at Jonny for acting out impulsively and forgetting everything he's been taught. He was pissed off at Corven for not being able to stop the situation beforehand. And he was pissed off at himself for letting it happen.

Fifteen minutes.

In a span of fifteen minutes, the worst case scenario of his existence in the Quest household was justified... without a struggle, without a single gunfire, without even a single step intrusion within the perimeter...

...all because he turned his back for fifteen damned minutes...

Benton, in no doubt, probably heard the news by now.

I-1 is very efficient in delivering bad news.

A pang of guilt struck through him. When he first accepted... was forced to accept File 037, it was meant to be just another assignment. The last thing he wanted was to baby-sit an eight-year-old 24 hours a day when he can barely even manage to find time to spend with his own nine-year-old.

He never expected that within short six years he'll become more than just the real life GI Joe action figure to a child. He never expected that the six years would turn him into a hero, a protector, a mentor, a confidant... a friend to an over-trusting little boy...

Jesus Christ.

That boy TRUSTED him.

Now it's that same trust that...

"You were supposed to lock him up and throw away the key," Race finally spoke in a cold manner, unable to contain his anger any longer.

Corven simply stood calmly, "I wasn't aware of the deal until this morning."

Race simply glared at him.

"I'm not making excuses for them. But you can't blame them Race," Corven reasoned, "He may be a little unstable. But Zin trained him very well. He's as good as you."

"And now he THINKS he's me," Race snapped , "How long has this been going on?"

"Almost a year."

"A year," Race laughed sardonically, "It took him that long to gain access to File 037. Impressive. Getting a little rusty, SIR?"

Corven ignored his comment, "His last mental review..."

"I already know that he's a nutbar, Phil. With the number of times Zin tried to pull our strings, its a miracle that none of us ended up like him. What I want to know is..." Race narrowed his eyes, "Where he took Jonny."

To be continued?

Comments, criticisms, brick launchers at 

Author's Squawk:

We're on a roll! .

Ja!

Ina-chan


	3. Chapter 3

OCTOBER 17, 1998 (Revised October 31,2004)

DISCLAIMER: JQ and its characters are not mine. This is making no money. Though I wish it did.

"Our life has always centered around the use of violence, hasn't it?"

"I see you decided to loose the accent."

The man merely stood his ground and chuckled at the man pointing a gun at him.

Race gave his smirking double a cold indifferent glare, "You have no where to run, so you might as well tell me where he is."

"I'm not afraid of your... friends."

"WHERE IS HE?" Race demanded

"Here." A voice replied weakly

Race looked at the direction of the voice from the corner of his eye. Though the boy was harried and flushed from fever, he was unharmed. He drew an instinctive silent sigh of relief. "You okay Jonny?"

The boy didn't reply.

His twin smirked.

It was then at that moment... he understood. Jolts of fear started to run through his body like currents of electricity. He didn't need to turn around to see the expression on the boy's face. He automatically knew what was running through his charge's mind, as reflected from his double's triumphant expression. All at once, the reason behind all this was crystal clear. He gripped the gun in his hands tighter, "What did you do to him?"

"You know that I would never hurt him," His twin stated in a silent voice, "Did you honestly think that you can keep this charade forever?"

"You twisted lying bastard. You did something... You SAID something..." Race muttered dangerously, "What did you say to him?"

"What I said?" The identical hazel green orbs that stared back at him glinted maliciously, "Why? What are you afraid of? You don't have anything to hide, now... 'Mr. Bannon'?"

"I know exactly what you're up to Korchek. It's not going to work. Your lies..."

"Lies?" The man glared at him, "Let me give you a lesson on lies. The past four years of my life was a big lie. All because of you..."

"All that had happened to you was your own doing."

"No. All that happened to me was because of you," The man's face contorted into a mask of utter hatred, "Because of you...YOU... stole my life from me."

All at once Race Bannon realized what he was up against.

"You're not going to get away with this. I'm going to stop you."

"How are you going to do that? Shoot me?" The man laughed.

This was not the same man whom he encountered four years before. That man had a name... an identity... Korchek. The man before him threw that identity away. That man was a weak willed underling following orders fearfully from a stronger willed man. The man before him did not have a man like Zin to take orders from. That man had everything to loose the day he failed his mission. The man before him has nothing left to loose.

All he wanted was to destroy the man who believed was responsible for destroying his life. To get to him through the very people he cared about. He is dangerous. An infectious microbe... he didn't know what this man had done or said to Jonny. Though there is no physical injury, Race could already sense that enough damage has been done. And he won't stop with destroying Jonny's faith... he won't stop until he destroys everything he holds dear...

"Jessie," Race whispered to himself. He narrowed his eyes and cocked his weapon, "I should have ended this foolishness a long time ago."

His double smiled and looked at the direction of the figure watching the scenario, "Maybe it would have been better that way."

Taking his chances, Race turned his head to glance at Jonny. Only to meet the pair of blue eyes that once looked up at him with an eerie sense of hero worship with the expression of... he didn't like what he saw. Six years ago, he worked very hard to bring back the childlike brightness into those eyes... the boy went through enough in life to rattle a man twice his age.

"Go ahead and do it."

Race tightened his grip on his weapon.

Jonny winced instinctively as one of the men was sent flying backwards in the air... with the sound of bone hitting bone.

Race glared down at the fallen man, his fury curbing the amusement to the fact that this was an exact repetition of the scene four years ago.

"You okay, Jonny?" Race called up to the boy

"Every muscle in my body aches to the point that I can barely move. And I had to endure the ramblings of a babbling mad man for four hours. How do you think I feel?" The boy replied blandly

"Glad to know you're okay," Race grinned as he reached out for the boy's shoulder

Jonny automatically moved away from his touch. Race could only watch mutely as the boy stared back at him, surprised at the instinctive action himself. Jonny bowed his head and pretended to look at something more interesting on the floor. Without another word, the two figures started their trek out of the building.

"Jonny."

Race turned to the direction of the owner of the voice with loathing. His twin however, ignored him and acted oblivious to the men restraining him. He merely looked at the boy with an expression Race never thought his enemy was capable of having. He looked at his companion and saw that rare deadpan expression hinting a deeper rooted anger than Jonny's usual volatile indignation.

"I don't appreciate being used, Mr. Korchek," Jonny replied in a quiet tone not different from the familiar angry tone Race heard many times before from another man

"Thanks for listening anyway."

Jonny glared at him coldly, "Screw you."

The man turned his gaze and looked far ahead, as the he was dragged away.

Race looked at the boy worriedly. Jonny started to walk past him and didn't turn around to meet his gaze.

"Jonny..."

"I want to go home."

FIN

"TRUST"

by

Ina-chan

Comments, criticisms, brick launchers at 

Author's Squawk:

WAAAH! It's done! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Now I can finally let this go and get on with my life! Well... I hope you like it. If anyone feels like writing a fanfic connected to this concept... feel free.

Ja!

Ina-chan


End file.
